ExecutiveOrdersEO
MemoMemorandumG.W. Bush · R

Presidential Memorandum

Designation of Officers of the Office of Personnel Management to Act as Director of the Office of Personnel Management

This memorandum establishes the order of succession for acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management when both the Director and Deputy Director are unavailable. It lists eleven OPM officers in priority order and preserves presidential discretion to depart from this succession order under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.

Federal Register Open PDF 68 FR 12281

Impact dates

  1. Publication in Federal Register

Key directives

  • Establish order of succession for OPM Director position
  • Exclude acting officeholders from serving as acting Director
  • Preserve presidential discretion to depart from succession order
  • Direct publication in Federal Register

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

  • Succession order takes effect upon issuance

Near term (90d)

—

Long term

  • Standing succession protocol remains in place until superseded

Risks & tensions

  • Acting capacity exclusion (Sec. 2a) could create gaps if multiple positions are simultaneously acting
  • Presidential discretion clause (Sec. 2b) makes succession order non-binding in practice
  • Eligibility constraint under FVRA may disqualify some listed officers from acting
Presidential Memorandum: Designation of Officers of the Office of Personnel Management to Act as Director of the Office of Personnel Management · Executive Orders